This invention relates to fuel filters and more particularly to a device for draining residue oil or fuel remaining in a filter after the filter has been removed from, e.g., a gasoline pump or an oil furnace, in preparation for proper disposal of the filter and the oil or fuel drained therefrom.
Gas stations that sell gasoline to the public usually contain one or more "islands" having one or more banks of gas pumps that the motorist maneuvers his or her car proximate to. Each bank of gas pumps may be "double-sided" (that is, with a plurality of pumps on each opposing side) so cars can pull up along both sides of the pump bank. Further, each side of the pump bank may contain two or more pumps, one for each grade of gasoline sold. A typical pump bank contains six pumps, three on each side.
Typically, each pump within a bank of pumps contains a canister-like fuel filter located inside the bank. The filters are usually readily accessible upon removing a panel on the bank. The filter is operable to filter out impurities in the gasoline prior to the gasoline being pumped by the consumer from the underground storage tank into the automobile gas tank.
These filters need to be periodically replaced as, over time, the impurities collected by the filter add up to a point where the normal flow of gas through the filter is impeded. The filters are accessed by removing the panels on the pump bank and unscrewing the filters. Each filter may contain one pint or more of residue gasoline, which must be properly drained from the filter prior to proper disposal of the drained filter in accordance with ever-stricter environmental laws regulating the disposal of such filters.
In the prior art, it is known to use a large bucket (e.g., a five gallon bucket), open at the top. The filters are removed from a bank of pumps and the filters are either held by hand within the bucket and allowed to drain individually, or the filters are placed into the bucket among the accumulated fuel and left unattended to eventually drain. The first method is time consuming in that the person must hold the filter until most, if not all, of the fuel remaining in each filter has drained into the bucket. The time spent waiting for each filter to drain is inefficient and can add up. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that a typical gas station may contain 24 or more individual pumps and corresponding filters. The second method is problematic in that the person must eventually "fish out" the filters from the bucket, typically by hand. Regardless of the method used, the accumulated fuel must be poured into an appropriate container, often times the underground storage tank for the gasoline itself.
In another situation, an oil furnace for a residence typically has a single filter that filters out impurities in the oil prior to combustion. Similar to the gas station filters discussed previously, the oil filter must be periodically changed. However, the oil filter presents a different environment for changing the filter as compared to gas pump filters.
For example, as mentioned before, a typical gas station may have 24 or more filters that must be changed at one time. In contrast, a home oil furnace usually has only one filter to be changed. Also, the gas station itself provides a readily available site for disposal of collected fuel (the underground fuel tank). In contrast, most often there is no place to properly dispose of the residue oil collected from an oil furnace filter. Typically, the collected oil and furnace filter must be transported from the home to a proper site for disposal, such as a hazardous waste storage area. Thus, problems of possible spillage during vehicle transportation of the oil must be addressed.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a device that holds fuel filters so that they can be drained of any remaining fuel or oil without having the filter immersed in an accumulated residue oil or fuel.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a coverable bucket-type device for holding fuel filters for draining any remaining fuel or oil from the filters while transporting the filters and without any spillage of the accumulated oil or fuel from the device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive device for holding one or more filters and for quickly draining any fuel or oil remaining therein, and for facilitating the pouring of accumulated oil or fuel in the device into a proper receptacle.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive and portable device for holding one or more filters and for quickly draining any fuel or oil remaining therein, all of the components of the device being stored in a compact manner when not in use.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that facilitates the collection of fuel or oil drained from filters at one site and for transporting the accumulated fuel or oil and the removed filters for disposal at another site.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device that facilitates the collection of fuel or oil drained from filters without spillage that could contaminate the environment.
The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.